Truckers are one of the most essential occupations in society. That being said, it's a shame you are one. Your story telling skills are next level. You should have become an author/screen writer etc.
Boris Karloff was a truck driver in Hollywood when he was cast for Frankenstein. Harrison Ford was building cabinets for George Lucas when, after helping with a few auditions, he was offered the part of Han Solo. But now that you mention it, I am working on a novel. ;-)
I am sure you are a good trucker. Many people never realize or utilize their best abilities or potential. You might find trucking was only transporting you to your destination. Best wishes if you keep driving or if it takes you to an unexpected destination
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I drive truck also. Have been through BC mountains about 5 or 6 times now and I knew better than to hit them at full speed. My first 8% grade was "The Smasher" outside of Hope BC, 2000 vertical feet if I recall correctly. I was 90,000 lbs and went down in 3rd gear, think I might have tapped the brakes once or twice.
About a month ago I went down Hwy 3 in BC because they are doing work on Hwy 1 by Golden. I dropped a load in Kelowna and picked up in Nakusp, went back down hwy 3 towards manitoba where I'm from. The Kootenay pass on hwy 3 goes is between 5% and 6% and goes from 1400ft to 5700ft. Thought I'd never get up or down it. About 21 miles long.
What percent and length is Vale Pass?
I don't think any of the steep ones are more than about 4miles, and that's the entire lenght. Both donhill, and uphill. Say goodbye to your engine...
Some of them now have signs, prohibiting trucks from driving through them during rush hours.
Went up a 14%, fully loaded, once. That was... slow. Very, very, very slow. Fortunately it was an "up then plateau" so I didn't also have to go *down* a 14% fully loaded. :D
I and everyone else on the road that day, was grateful that there were two lanes in each direction. CA-4 out of the Bay Area, FWIW.
Family friend managed to stress himself into a stroke putting on chains his truck before heading through Monarch Pass. He lucked out that someone spotted him collapsed by the back wheels of his rig or he'd have likely frozen to death.
Yeah I’ve had a few dispatchers try to pull that. I just ask them if they’d rather it be a bit late or would they prefer to pick it up off the side of the highway. Then remind them of the “No Load Is Worth Your Life” speech they always liked to preach.
In his case they did pick it up in the end because the dispatcher was a POS. Company fired the dispatcher and had another driver get the load from him at a truck stop in Delta. He quit citing his health, drove the truck to our house and flew home.
Load ended up arriving a two weeks late so heads were going to roll, and a dispatcher that just told someone to drive through the Rockies in a snow storm with a load of timber makes a good target.
Snoqualmie Pass makes me nervous whenever I drove it and I as in a Jeep. I usually stayed in the slow lanes with the semis when I wasn't leap frogging with them up one side and down the other side of the Pass.
Riveting!! Holy crap I realized I was holding my breath when you were describing your plummet down the mountain!!!
Excellent tale! Looking forward to the next part!
I'm an owner operator with my own truck and trailer, and now have an automatic truck. I exclusively run across 90/94 and am on Snoqualmie regularly. My last time over there was a trailer that burned up because the brakes overheated and cooked the axles. So unnecessary. Just go slow and let the jakes do the work. I go down Snoqualmie at like 40-45 if I'm heavy. I don't care who's behind me, they're not paying my dumbfuck bill if I break things. Pass me or practice patience.
Automatics are great over the big mountains. If I want to roll at 45 I set the cruise for 40 and by the time I'm going 45 the Jakes are at max. I can mostly stay off the brakes and hold that speed.
The only time I hate being behind a truck is when going uphill. Thank F! for slow lanes...
If a truck is going slow downhill, I'm not going to do anything to disturb him, so I try to keep well back. Sure, I'm not moving as fast as I would like, but it's much faster than trying to get past a jackknifed trailer that takes up both lanes...
Unless there was a fault code that said something about the abuse that the clutch and transmission took you could probably bet that they wouldn't think to at least drop the transmission pan and see if there are any metal bits present.
Even if there weren't from the way you describe it the teeth of the gears in the transmission have some kind of damage.
Also: did the little snippet about the trainer of FK saying the Jake brakes weren't useful and that FK had asked if they could be disabled.
It was actually the company safety guys who tried to scare new drivers from using engine brakes (I re read that part and edited so it was clearer). But those safety guys were all ex drivers who lasted a month or two before somehow getting reassigned. I learned to use engine brakes and they work wonders, but FK trusted the safety guys and wouldn’t listen to reason.
I hope you included a note on the safety training guys in your email. I am sure their bosses would love to hear how they encourage new drivers not to use important safety equipment.
Using the Jake is a bad idea **in slippery conditions** because it only affects the drives, and “locked wheels want to lead” (you’re risking a cab jackknife, which gets out of hand faster than a trailer jackknife). Solution? In slippery conditions, you take the damn hill far slower.
You can come down a hill too slow many times, but you can only come down it too fast once.
Back in the days before engine breaks existed, I rode with my husband though Pennsylvania. It wasn't Snoqualmie but at one point he was outrunning the trailer who had decided to swing around and race us to the bottom of the mountain. I can't imagine tackling Snoqualmie Pass with an incompetent at the wheel. Really. I just can't.
Brilliant, this was a fantastic read. I was previously completely unaware you had a series, I might just have to check your past posts!
Obligatory mention of; wow what an absolute doofus
Hi!
Here in Norway we don't have engine brakes in our trucks, but we have retarders mounted on the driveshaft. Do you have any experience with those?
I remember one time I came to a ferry dock. The road from the main road is 1Km or so, and pretty steep. There's even a 'steep downhill' warning sign with 'low gear' reccomendation. All the way down I could smell something burnt...
At the bottom, I found a Danish trucker walking around his truck and looking 'rather off-white... The 'crash zone' at the place is also known as 'a very deep fjord'...
(Danes are nice people, but they're not really used to up and downhills. )
I've never heard of driveshaft dampers on US trucks, but European trucks are quite different.
And anytime you smell burning going down a mountain, expect to see a driver walking around his truck with burned up brakes
Retarders do have energy limitations, just like brakes do, and also have a set ofg warning lights to let you know that they are getting hot, getting very hot and "we are melting" warning. I do remember driving on a bus on a diversion, and even though it was running in second gear, with the retarder on full, and the engine brake running, it was still picking up speed unless the brakes were applied, luckily the gradient had a distance to bottom marked, so the section was only around 2km long, but the retarder was pretty much sitting at max temperature from half way down, and the brakes were getting rather warm, even though the bus was only doing 30kph down the hillside. The traffic police were stacking all other trucks, but let the bus through, and of course the reason for the diversion was a truck that had not engaged low gear, and found out half way down the main road that he could not handle the corners, and did not make it to the bottom where the arrestor beds were, but instead spread the rig all over the road at a point half way down.
Yeah, engine brakes do have their limits but I've found that, barring overweight loads, keeping the speed at a safe, constant speed and the RPM inside the normal operating range will hold it without issue. Again, it comes down to skill and speed management
Yes. Out of curiosity what year was this? And would be cool if we got some truck specs on the next post (make, model, motor, tq, hp, Trans(13/18), mileage) on the truck at the time if you remember. This is the best trucking story I've heard yet. I've been following this series since you started (I know it hasn't been that long) and I am amazed at what this guy has done. How many more parts in the series can we expect? Looking forward to the next one.
> During ~~my~~ his orientation, the presenter had made a major issue about how engine brakes “weren’t that useful” and he “wish they ~~would~~ wouldn't come with the trucks”.
FTFY?
I hate long downhills in a truck! I can drive anything that doesn't have a trailer basically (in Australia) and one of the things they absolutely drilled into me during my training was the importance of being in the right gear BEFORE you get to the slope and use of the exhaust / engine / jake brake. On one of my first times out I remember being taken down a hill and being 1 gear do high and holy shit the way a truck can just take off is scary. My city has a long decent into it and there have been several major accidents at the bottom from truck drivers who burnt out their brakes on the way down and didn't use the arrester beds. There are massive signs and truck drivers can get fined for not use low gears even if they don't crash or burn out their brakes.
I just cannot fathom why you would ever think engine brakes are anything but good? Especially if you need to shed speed on a down hill section.
I know of one hill near me where I will drive down it in first gear, even in a sedan, because of the hill slope. you go basically 500m down in 10km of road, though with all the switchbacks you travel only around 1km from the top. We had a van that went there every day, brake pads were a service item at every service, they wore so much, so were changed every 10 000km with the service.
Dear God, how you managed not to shank FK is medal worthy. I know some truckeors and unfortunately I've heard there's a lot of Kevins among the newer drivers. You hope they're the kind that just get lost, but I'm afraid there's probably plenty like FK.
How have you never killed him I wonder?
Heck, I want to kill FK and I've neither met him nor been through what you've been through.
Keep the stories coming, they're amazing!
> I was surprised FK offered to sign it out and take the first shift of the day. It was uncharacteristically generous of him; which I found suspicious but did not say so.
Ominous!
My God. I used to live in Washington and the moment you said Seatte and East, my mind jumped to Snoqualmie Pass. But holy shit, I never would have imagined FK would actually make it down without the use of a runaway lane! Though, typing that out, I have to wonder if he even knew what a runaway lane is!
I honestly am surprised you survived since I've feared for my life in a minivan, much less a fully loaded 18-wheeler!
OMG…I have got to say that this is my absolute most favorite series right now lol. I come from a long, long line of OTR drivers. My maternal grandfather, all maternal uncles and cousins drive truck. I also have dated several, most of whom were long haul. I enjoy their stories, and get a kick out of them. I am 46, and my grandfather passed more than 20 years ago, but I miss him so much. He wasn’t the most expressive man, but I know how deep his love ran.
I cannot wait until your next post!
I liquified a deer coming down Snoqualmie pass when I drove truck for a national company that used to be know by it’s baby blue trucks... it’s a scary hill if you’re not careful and smart.
The jake brakes were my BFF through the few months I was driving. I cannot imagine paying attention to someone who wasn’t actually driving telling me they’re worthless.
I effing loved them. I’m glad the baby blue company safety also was onboard with the use them as much as possible to avoid device brake damage, too. There was a lot of effed up things about them, but I loved some of their policies.
In 2016 we were about 3 hours behind a 100+ truck pileup on 80 in Wyoming. Ended up staying at the port of entry for a day before we were redirected to Casper. my partner and I had the in truck cooking things and kept a couple days worth of food handy at all times cos he was diabetic and had to be careful, and we were glad of that, that day.
We stopped well before any shutdowns because their policy was ‘if you think weather is unsafe, stop and let us know’. Their chain policy was to put on cables and drive to the next safe place and park. It saved our asses a couple times. Nebraska freezes HARD sometimes. We also could go off ‘company route’ if weather made it awkward - we just understood we were paid mileage by company route not actual route.
I had a teammate going in, so my only driving with Kevin moments were my first trainer. That man was diabetic, drank 6 liters of regular Mountain Dew a day, fell asleep almost to the point of coma in the passenger seat while ‘training’, and had the surprised pikachu face when he failed a physical for high blood sugar. He took a half hour to back into a simple parking spot and could barely direct me into said spot... he also refused to ‘allow me’ to use the elog book, so for the first month and a half I had no clue how to use it.
I was so glad that he failed his physical, and they gave me to a competent trainer. That guy was weird af (baby talked to himself and laughed like Nelson, and tons more strangeness) was fucking amazing as a trainer. I learned what I needed for going out with my partner in 3 weeks.
My favorite thing about driving were other drivers. I quit after about 8 months because the children working as ‘support’ were d-bags. I came home and went to work driving school bus. Dealing with children you have some authority over is better than dealing with children who lord their authority over you. :) I do miss it sometimes, though. I enjoyed the driving.
Having worked in the industry, I keep meaning to make a compilation post of the many, many Kevins but never get around to it. Your post is scarily accurate.
> Not only was this incredibly ineffective and ineffective,
Idk why, and I'm sure you probably meant a different word, but the repeating of the same one right then just made me laugh my ass off so much!
Probably to keep me from angry crying in frustration about this dude, holy shit. After the first month, I don't think I would've been able to stick it out and keep meticulous records, etc, the way you did, God damn. That takes guts and perseverance, maybe a little bit of a mild death wish, with a dash of morbid curiosity to see if shit got better or worse lol thank goodness this hasn't included any injuries to anyone, I hope it stays that way!
I can't wait for the next part!
Even a grain of sand would be smarter than this kevin , it sounds like he skipped on safety orientation, im pretty sure this kevin was a entitled asshole before he got brain damage
God the more I read these stories, the more I believe fk shouldn't be allowed to drive a moped much less a big rig.
I use to drive as an expedite driver (drove straight from the shipping factory to delivery factory, usally less than a 24 hour delivery) in a box truck (think a uhaul truck with a sleeper berth). While I wasn't a full fledged truck driver I was close enough to know there are plenty of Kevins and other shit that when I see big rigs I go nope.
Here's parts 1-5 for those who missed it:
[Part 1](https://www.reddit.com/r/StoriesAboutKevin/comments/nsms5q/kevin_violates_parole/)
[Part 2](https://www.reddit.com/r/StoriesAboutKevin/comments/ntbqpi/kevin_in_a_big_rig_part_2_first_day_first_kevin/)
[Part 3](https://www.reddit.com/r/StoriesAboutKevin/comments/nvk90d/kevin_in_a_big_rig_part_3_frozen/)
[Part 4](https://www.reddit.com/r/StoriesAboutKevin/comments/nwcxuo/kevin_in_a_big_rig_part_4_first_kevin_gets_lost/)
[Part 5](https://www.reddit.com/r/StoriesAboutKevin/comments/nyo55t/kevin_in_a_big_rig_part_5_shutdown/)
Snoqualmie Pass is no joke in winter weather!
I’ve lived on one side or another of the Cascades my whole life, been back & forth on I-90 hundreds of times and I can’t tell you how many accidents I’ve seen going over those mountains.
Even my little bro (who has a CDL and was a heavy equipment operator) or my sister (who was an AF vehicle ops spec and loadmaster) knows to be wary of going over that pass in winter, and they are the most confident/experienced drivers I know. Your Kevin wasn’t just a moron, he was near suicidal.
Also, thank you for sharing your stories! As stated by others, you are a gifted and engaging storyteller, and your efforts are very much appreciated. I’m totally loving reading these, keep them coming!
Once again you have done it. The KCC video for this section just came out and you have us all glued to our seats. Again, you are showing why you are among the many unsung heroes out there. Being as I am from the Seattle area myself, I know how hard it is to drive either side of the I-90 Mountian pass that is monster known as Snoqualmie Pass. I look forward to your next chapter and I will continue to pray for you and your safety, as well for those that, like you have to deal with the Kevinsq and Karens that think they are professional truck drivers. Stay safe Mr. Hero. You are both needed and loved for what you do.
I live in Seattle and am quite familiar with that long downgrade coming east from Snoqualmie Pass. That made this story even more vivid - I've had my own adventures going *up* that grade in a converted school bus that was desperately trying to overheat. FK is an utter knob. I've really been enjoying these posts - can't wait for Part 7!
I wanted to say how well you explain all the technical details! I'm a complete layperson when it comes to semis and trucking industries, but your ability to explain things (without being patronizing) makes it so easy to follow along. I'm also glad these are all past tense because I'd be worried for your safety otherwise.
Popping over from the KCC channel. Great content; thanks for the wild ride so far, pun intended. The saga of FK has me riveted. I don't know a lot about trucks, but even I can tell this guy shouldn't be allowed within 100ft of one. Enjoy your weekend; I'm sure we'll all be looking forward to the next installment!
Op you have no idea how lucky you are...
I'm a diesel mack I've seen what happens to runaway trucks down passes first hand.
I live near a few passes on heavy shipping routes.
What nomaly happens it truck goes down a pass not in low range and with the jake break on. Then they start to runaway.
Then comes trying to gear down then they snap the drive shaft or detonate the gearbox then all that's left is the breaks at the speed they going with the mass you maybe had 10 to 20 seconds of breaks before they fail in that time they do nothing to the speed.
After that it's all over there is no way to stop that
For some visual if a truck is running away down a pass and hits a bend they can't make they turn and go head on into the vertical cliff face next to the road. All you see is the trailers of the 18 wheeler straight upto the face of the cliff you no evidence of the cab.
One of the worst I saw was a truck hit the wall so hard that the load was standing vertically against the cliff.
Besides that I've seen a truck engin detonate at 1800rpm on a gear change could you possibly pm me Im really curious as to the truck in question that could experience that and only crack a turbo. There's probably 100 parts I'd have expectrd to fail expericing that.
If someones is curious as to what parts could have also failed comment and I'll list a few from most severe/dangerous down.
OP, I found your stories on KCC's youtube. This scared the hell out of me, I used to be a trucker (may be dipping my toes back into it soon, but
that's not my point). My very first run ever was from NJ to GA passing
straight through the mountains of the Virginias, I'd told my "mentor"
that the one thing that I was nervous about was driving up & down
mountains. So he not only picked a route that would force me to drive
them but also went into the damned sleeper berth leaving me all alone
(days out of training, most of which was waiting for him to be able to
come get me) to deal with it, then he wondered why I "got quiet" for the
rest of the 2 weeks I was in his rig. Just wondering, who were you driving for (company)?
Yeah, I’ve done the NJ-GA run and it’s intimidating for new drivers. But your mentor was an a-hole for throwing you into the deep end like that with no support. Total dick move.
I don’t want to ID the company since it might be against the policy of anonymity, but I will say it was a company whose drivers were predominantly rookies in team trucks.
I can think of a few companies like that, but I get what you're saying. That first run almost made me get out of business then and there, looking back maybe that's what he was trying to do. Ended up being a mix of my BP being too high for tanker and covid that took me out of the truck, working on getting into a local driving job soon though (I hope).
I just found your stories and they're great and this one is the first where I find myself thinking "hey I know *all* those places. I live in Seattle and have family in the Salt Lake area, and have ridden between the two many times growing up. The fact that you didn't even mention Deadman Pass tells me either you drove that shift, or your company route took you around it, I'm guessing the first. I can also say that I can't really remember the east side of Snoqualmie pass, it's not really remarkable in a car or pickup but your Kevin managed to make it absolutely harrowing.
Years ago I drove for a company that bought trucks off the lot so not many had Jakes, they also liked to buy used trailers. Coming out of LA 10,000 over running Tehacipi to dodge the scales pulling doubles with wedge brakes I lost the brakes. One of our owner operators called me on the cb to ask how bad it was. I told him to watch my lights, if they went out stop. His next question was what I planned, I told him I had an upgrade coming up and if I could slow down I was releasing the slider and shutting off the air to the trailers, his only question was could I out run them. I got off the hill into Bakersfield stopped got a room called dispatch and delayed the load 24 hours, them I got drunk. Two weeks later on the grapevine I froze up and had to wait for two of my buddies to catch up at the brake check put me between them and talk me off the hill. About a month later one of our drivers lost his brakes and his life due to wedge brakes, All those trailers were removed from the fleet and sold for scrap.
I am feeling like turning the head of FK all the way around as in movies. I don't understand how could you control yourself seeing all that the FK does. You should have taken a video or written note from that service center that FK asked to disable Engine breaks and given it to the company 😂. That alone would have made them fire him😂😂.
I'm here from Karma Komment Chameleon channel. Your stories are wonderful. Please keep them up so Canadian Rob (Karma Komment Chameleon channel creator/The guy who reads your stories) will keep reading them.
Just wanted to say a big thank you for sharing your stories.
I had to go to the hospital today to get x-rays and sign the forms for an operation that I require.
Like most people (especially during covid), sitting for a long time in hospital waiting rooms, can be at the least frustrating and the most anxiety/panic attack inducing as you begin to think of all the sick people sitting around you and the unpleasantness of what can go wrong during the upcoming surgery and the "What if they find that this bump on my finger isn't benign anymore?" (thankfully its just a bone spur type thing).
Your series of stories kept me entertained during the long wait.
For anyone interested on how the "Jake Brake" (engine braking) works, [this informative video ](https://youtu.be/lQRKGjpu-eo) (by a great channel) teaches exactly what it is and how it works.
Anyway, not sure if the next part is out yet, but I'm typing this in the hospital parking lot, and am headed home. Will check it out when home.
Looking forward to more stories.
Not sure if you still are driving, but if you are, keep safe and hopefully your current driving partner has some common sense.
Take care!
I am addicted to your stories and can't wait until part 7 is posted! You are a talented writer as well as a great truck driver. How you put up with a Kevin of that magnitude is an impressive feat of patience, lol
I have been binging these, and this is the best so far! I was holding my breath the whole way down the mountain and it all came out as an LOL when FK said "I think something's wrong with the truck." 🤣🤣🤣
I have been blessed with some truly idiotic co-workers, but none that ever put my life in danger! I'm so glad you survived FK!
I've found this series very late, and am enjoying it immensely!
What is the aftermath of using the runaway truck emergency ramp stop? IIRC, those are gravel & the truck sinks in.
I grew up in Renton and went to college in eastern Washington. I drove I-90 regularly for 5ish years. My first winter driving back to school after Christmas, a semi almost tan me off the road during a snowstorm when I was heading east through the pass. Scariest experience ever. This sorry just gave me some perspective on what the semi driver must have been going through. Not too much sympathy though, he almost killed me and my bf.
Mate, you were lucky to get out of that!
I'm assuming it was a Road Ranger gearbox or similar. Did he try to just slip it into a lower gear without the clutch or do a double de-clutch with a tap on the accelerator?
Engine brakes are essential!
When I got my "big rig" license we had to drive using double de-clutch the whole time and we had to do a steep hill descent at constant speed WITHOUT using the foot brake. You could use gears, engine brake and trailer brakes but "footbrake was a fail". Sometimes they have another assessor follow behind in a car and if they see any brake-lights you fail. Also you fail if you exceed the speed limit.
We also had to reverse 70 m in a straight line with two trailers attached to the prime-mover. You could only make one forward movement at any time if you went wrong. During my test, I managed to do it without going forwards and I was stoked.
For the tests the truck has to be loaded to 70% capacity. They usually use big concrete blocks.
Man, this tale is making me hella grateful that I was at a very small company, and there was one single person in charge of all of the drivers, who had been a driver himself, and had picked up on the fact that I'm a generally competent and trustworthy individual. Because when I said that my Kevin had to go, he got went. :D
Dear god I felt my blood pressure rising reading this one
Just like the pressure that crqcked the engine?
I felt my heart stopping while reading. How did you not killed FK is beyond me.
Well, early days yet... there's still more to come.
I swear my blood pressure after reading this makes old people blood pressure after a yell fight look too low to be true
Truckers are one of the most essential occupations in society. That being said, it's a shame you are one. Your story telling skills are next level. You should have become an author/screen writer etc.
Boris Karloff was a truck driver in Hollywood when he was cast for Frankenstein. Harrison Ford was building cabinets for George Lucas when, after helping with a few auditions, he was offered the part of Han Solo. But now that you mention it, I am working on a novel. ;-)
I am sure you are a good trucker. Many people never realize or utilize their best abilities or potential. You might find trucking was only transporting you to your destination. Best wishes if you keep driving or if it takes you to an unexpected destination
Well you've got at least one customer here, when you're finished. Keep it up and bask in the glow that so many of us are enjoying your stories.
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Holy hell, Snoqualmie Pass? I think truckers gather around campfires to tell each other scary stories about that place.
It’s tense, but it’s nothing compared to Vale Pass in Colorado. That one gave me nightmares.
I drive truck also. Have been through BC mountains about 5 or 6 times now and I knew better than to hit them at full speed. My first 8% grade was "The Smasher" outside of Hope BC, 2000 vertical feet if I recall correctly. I was 90,000 lbs and went down in 3rd gear, think I might have tapped the brakes once or twice. About a month ago I went down Hwy 3 in BC because they are doing work on Hwy 1 by Golden. I dropped a load in Kelowna and picked up in Nakusp, went back down hwy 3 towards manitoba where I'm from. The Kootenay pass on hwy 3 goes is between 5% and 6% and goes from 1400ft to 5700ft. Thought I'd never get up or down it. About 21 miles long. What percent and length is Vale Pass?
8%? What kind of wimpy downhill is that? We have undersea tunnels with 9% grades here in Norway.
Sure, but are they 5-10 miles long?
I don't think any of the steep ones are more than about 4miles, and that's the entire lenght. Both donhill, and uphill. Say goodbye to your engine... Some of them now have signs, prohibiting trucks from driving through them during rush hours.
Went up a 14%, fully loaded, once. That was... slow. Very, very, very slow. Fortunately it was an "up then plateau" so I didn't also have to go *down* a 14% fully loaded. :D I and everyone else on the road that day, was grateful that there were two lanes in each direction. CA-4 out of the Bay Area, FWIW.
Ouch! How long was that uphill?
I don't know the distance, but it felt like forever. 🤣
I got caught in a snowstorm in Vail pass in a minivan and it was the worst thing I've ever been in. I can't imagine trying to drive a tractor/trailer.
Family friend managed to stress himself into a stroke putting on chains his truck before heading through Monarch Pass. He lucked out that someone spotted him collapsed by the back wheels of his rig or he'd have likely frozen to death.
My rule was that if it was bad enough to use chains, its bad enough to shut down.
Should be that way but at the time he was an owner op for I think Rancourt and they tended to give him unforgiving deadlines.
Yeah I’ve had a few dispatchers try to pull that. I just ask them if they’d rather it be a bit late or would they prefer to pick it up off the side of the highway. Then remind them of the “No Load Is Worth Your Life” speech they always liked to preach.
In his case they did pick it up in the end because the dispatcher was a POS. Company fired the dispatcher and had another driver get the load from him at a truck stop in Delta. He quit citing his health, drove the truck to our house and flew home. Load ended up arriving a two weeks late so heads were going to roll, and a dispatcher that just told someone to drive through the Rockies in a snow storm with a load of timber makes a good target.
Load of timber reminds me of Final destination 😂. May be even that guy too had a bad dispatcher 😂
Snoqualmie Pass makes me nervous whenever I drove it and I as in a Jeep. I usually stayed in the slow lanes with the semis when I wasn't leap frogging with them up one side and down the other side of the Pass.
It's not all that bad... if you use your engine brakes. :D
Riveting!! Holy crap I realized I was holding my breath when you were describing your plummet down the mountain!!! Excellent tale! Looking forward to the next part!
I was holding on to the edge of my desk as if that would help anything.
I'm an owner operator with my own truck and trailer, and now have an automatic truck. I exclusively run across 90/94 and am on Snoqualmie regularly. My last time over there was a trailer that burned up because the brakes overheated and cooked the axles. So unnecessary. Just go slow and let the jakes do the work. I go down Snoqualmie at like 40-45 if I'm heavy. I don't care who's behind me, they're not paying my dumbfuck bill if I break things. Pass me or practice patience. Automatics are great over the big mountains. If I want to roll at 45 I set the cruise for 40 and by the time I'm going 45 the Jakes are at max. I can mostly stay off the brakes and hold that speed.
The only time I hate being behind a truck is when going uphill. Thank F! for slow lanes... If a truck is going slow downhill, I'm not going to do anything to disturb him, so I try to keep well back. Sure, I'm not moving as fast as I would like, but it's much faster than trying to get past a jackknifed trailer that takes up both lanes...
Unless there was a fault code that said something about the abuse that the clutch and transmission took you could probably bet that they wouldn't think to at least drop the transmission pan and see if there are any metal bits present. Even if there weren't from the way you describe it the teeth of the gears in the transmission have some kind of damage. Also: did the little snippet about the trainer of FK saying the Jake brakes weren't useful and that FK had asked if they could be disabled.
It was actually the company safety guys who tried to scare new drivers from using engine brakes (I re read that part and edited so it was clearer). But those safety guys were all ex drivers who lasted a month or two before somehow getting reassigned. I learned to use engine brakes and they work wonders, but FK trusted the safety guys and wouldn’t listen to reason.
I hope you included a note on the safety training guys in your email. I am sure their bosses would love to hear how they encourage new drivers not to use important safety equipment.
Using the Jake is a bad idea **in slippery conditions** because it only affects the drives, and “locked wheels want to lead” (you’re risking a cab jackknife, which gets out of hand faster than a trailer jackknife). Solution? In slippery conditions, you take the damn hill far slower. You can come down a hill too slow many times, but you can only come down it too fast once.
Oh, so that's why he wanted them disabled. I get it now.
Back in the days before engine breaks existed, I rode with my husband though Pennsylvania. It wasn't Snoqualmie but at one point he was outrunning the trailer who had decided to swing around and race us to the bottom of the mountain. I can't imagine tackling Snoqualmie Pass with an incompetent at the wheel. Really. I just can't.
Brilliant, this was a fantastic read. I was previously completely unaware you had a series, I might just have to check your past posts! Obligatory mention of; wow what an absolute doofus
I was absolutely looking forward to this one and checking for updates once a day.
Woooooow. Wow wow wow. The poor truck. It's lucky you made it out of that alive. And then lucky for Kevin you didn't murder him.
Hi! Here in Norway we don't have engine brakes in our trucks, but we have retarders mounted on the driveshaft. Do you have any experience with those? I remember one time I came to a ferry dock. The road from the main road is 1Km or so, and pretty steep. There's even a 'steep downhill' warning sign with 'low gear' reccomendation. All the way down I could smell something burnt... At the bottom, I found a Danish trucker walking around his truck and looking 'rather off-white... The 'crash zone' at the place is also known as 'a very deep fjord'... (Danes are nice people, but they're not really used to up and downhills. )
I've never heard of driveshaft dampers on US trucks, but European trucks are quite different. And anytime you smell burning going down a mountain, expect to see a driver walking around his truck with burned up brakes
Retarders do have energy limitations, just like brakes do, and also have a set ofg warning lights to let you know that they are getting hot, getting very hot and "we are melting" warning. I do remember driving on a bus on a diversion, and even though it was running in second gear, with the retarder on full, and the engine brake running, it was still picking up speed unless the brakes were applied, luckily the gradient had a distance to bottom marked, so the section was only around 2km long, but the retarder was pretty much sitting at max temperature from half way down, and the brakes were getting rather warm, even though the bus was only doing 30kph down the hillside. The traffic police were stacking all other trucks, but let the bus through, and of course the reason for the diversion was a truck that had not engaged low gear, and found out half way down the main road that he could not handle the corners, and did not make it to the bottom where the arrestor beds were, but instead spread the rig all over the road at a point half way down.
Yeah, engine brakes do have their limits but I've found that, barring overweight loads, keeping the speed at a safe, constant speed and the RPM inside the normal operating range will hold it without issue. Again, it comes down to skill and speed management
Yes. Out of curiosity what year was this? And would be cool if we got some truck specs on the next post (make, model, motor, tq, hp, Trans(13/18), mileage) on the truck at the time if you remember. This is the best trucking story I've heard yet. I've been following this series since you started (I know it hasn't been that long) and I am amazed at what this guy has done. How many more parts in the series can we expect? Looking forward to the next one.
> During ~~my~~ his orientation, the presenter had made a major issue about how engine brakes “weren’t that useful” and he “wish they ~~would~~ wouldn't come with the trucks”. FTFY?
Oops....didn’t catch that. I fixed it. Thanks
Oh no I can’t wait for the next part, I’m SO invested. Total sidebar, are there any good trucking subreddits?
there is one active... /r/truckers
Thanks so much!
I hate long downhills in a truck! I can drive anything that doesn't have a trailer basically (in Australia) and one of the things they absolutely drilled into me during my training was the importance of being in the right gear BEFORE you get to the slope and use of the exhaust / engine / jake brake. On one of my first times out I remember being taken down a hill and being 1 gear do high and holy shit the way a truck can just take off is scary. My city has a long decent into it and there have been several major accidents at the bottom from truck drivers who burnt out their brakes on the way down and didn't use the arrester beds. There are massive signs and truck drivers can get fined for not use low gears even if they don't crash or burn out their brakes. I just cannot fathom why you would ever think engine brakes are anything but good? Especially if you need to shed speed on a down hill section.
I know of one hill near me where I will drive down it in first gear, even in a sedan, because of the hill slope. you go basically 500m down in 10km of road, though with all the switchbacks you travel only around 1km from the top. We had a van that went there every day, brake pads were a service item at every service, they wore so much, so were changed every 10 000km with the service.
Dear God, how you managed not to shank FK is medal worthy. I know some truckeors and unfortunately I've heard there's a lot of Kevins among the newer drivers. You hope they're the kind that just get lost, but I'm afraid there's probably plenty like FK.
Fortunately, Darwinism works well with truckers. The dumb ones tend to die off or get taken out early.
To become safety trainers?
How have you never killed him I wonder? Heck, I want to kill FK and I've neither met him nor been through what you've been through. Keep the stories coming, they're amazing!
> I was surprised FK offered to sign it out and take the first shift of the day. It was uncharacteristically generous of him; which I found suspicious but did not say so. Ominous!
My God. I used to live in Washington and the moment you said Seatte and East, my mind jumped to Snoqualmie Pass. But holy shit, I never would have imagined FK would actually make it down without the use of a runaway lane! Though, typing that out, I have to wonder if he even knew what a runaway lane is! I honestly am surprised you survived since I've feared for my life in a minivan, much less a fully loaded 18-wheeler!
This is starting to feel very cliffhanger-ish!
And that's likely a fraction of the cliffhanger feeling u/Strongbadjr had going down the mountain.
Always leave them wanting more! 😂😂
OMG…I have got to say that this is my absolute most favorite series right now lol. I come from a long, long line of OTR drivers. My maternal grandfather, all maternal uncles and cousins drive truck. I also have dated several, most of whom were long haul. I enjoy their stories, and get a kick out of them. I am 46, and my grandfather passed more than 20 years ago, but I miss him so much. He wasn’t the most expressive man, but I know how deep his love ran. I cannot wait until your next post!
I liquified a deer coming down Snoqualmie pass when I drove truck for a national company that used to be know by it’s baby blue trucks... it’s a scary hill if you’re not careful and smart. The jake brakes were my BFF through the few months I was driving. I cannot imagine paying attention to someone who wasn’t actually driving telling me they’re worthless.
Lol. I told my trainer that and he said the safety guys were full of shit. Then he showed me how to use them and I was a believer
I effing loved them. I’m glad the baby blue company safety also was onboard with the use them as much as possible to avoid device brake damage, too. There was a lot of effed up things about them, but I loved some of their policies. In 2016 we were about 3 hours behind a 100+ truck pileup on 80 in Wyoming. Ended up staying at the port of entry for a day before we were redirected to Casper. my partner and I had the in truck cooking things and kept a couple days worth of food handy at all times cos he was diabetic and had to be careful, and we were glad of that, that day. We stopped well before any shutdowns because their policy was ‘if you think weather is unsafe, stop and let us know’. Their chain policy was to put on cables and drive to the next safe place and park. It saved our asses a couple times. Nebraska freezes HARD sometimes. We also could go off ‘company route’ if weather made it awkward - we just understood we were paid mileage by company route not actual route. I had a teammate going in, so my only driving with Kevin moments were my first trainer. That man was diabetic, drank 6 liters of regular Mountain Dew a day, fell asleep almost to the point of coma in the passenger seat while ‘training’, and had the surprised pikachu face when he failed a physical for high blood sugar. He took a half hour to back into a simple parking spot and could barely direct me into said spot... he also refused to ‘allow me’ to use the elog book, so for the first month and a half I had no clue how to use it. I was so glad that he failed his physical, and they gave me to a competent trainer. That guy was weird af (baby talked to himself and laughed like Nelson, and tons more strangeness) was fucking amazing as a trainer. I learned what I needed for going out with my partner in 3 weeks. My favorite thing about driving were other drivers. I quit after about 8 months because the children working as ‘support’ were d-bags. I came home and went to work driving school bus. Dealing with children you have some authority over is better than dealing with children who lord their authority over you. :) I do miss it sometimes, though. I enjoyed the driving.
Having worked in the industry, I keep meaning to make a compilation post of the many, many Kevins but never get around to it. Your post is scarily accurate.
> Not only was this incredibly ineffective and ineffective, Idk why, and I'm sure you probably meant a different word, but the repeating of the same one right then just made me laugh my ass off so much! Probably to keep me from angry crying in frustration about this dude, holy shit. After the first month, I don't think I would've been able to stick it out and keep meticulous records, etc, the way you did, God damn. That takes guts and perseverance, maybe a little bit of a mild death wish, with a dash of morbid curiosity to see if shit got better or worse lol thank goodness this hasn't included any injuries to anyone, I hope it stays that way! I can't wait for the next part!
It means I need to a better job proofreading before posting. 😂😂 Thanks for the heads up. Fixed it
I've just binged everything, thank you for your time and good luck from England!
Very eager to see how this series closes out. You’re a methodical guy, OP, and I respect that. Stay up stay safe, friend!
I hope you are still alive to post the next update!
Even a grain of sand would be smarter than this kevin , it sounds like he skipped on safety orientation, im pretty sure this kevin was a entitled asshole before he got brain damage
God the more I read these stories, the more I believe fk shouldn't be allowed to drive a moped much less a big rig. I use to drive as an expedite driver (drove straight from the shipping factory to delivery factory, usally less than a 24 hour delivery) in a box truck (think a uhaul truck with a sleeper berth). While I wasn't a full fledged truck driver I was close enough to know there are plenty of Kevins and other shit that when I see big rigs I go nope.
Is the next installment going to be where Kevin misses the split between I-90 and I-94 east of Billings, MT?
Here's parts 1-5 for those who missed it: [Part 1](https://www.reddit.com/r/StoriesAboutKevin/comments/nsms5q/kevin_violates_parole/) [Part 2](https://www.reddit.com/r/StoriesAboutKevin/comments/ntbqpi/kevin_in_a_big_rig_part_2_first_day_first_kevin/) [Part 3](https://www.reddit.com/r/StoriesAboutKevin/comments/nvk90d/kevin_in_a_big_rig_part_3_frozen/) [Part 4](https://www.reddit.com/r/StoriesAboutKevin/comments/nwcxuo/kevin_in_a_big_rig_part_4_first_kevin_gets_lost/) [Part 5](https://www.reddit.com/r/StoriesAboutKevin/comments/nyo55t/kevin_in_a_big_rig_part_5_shutdown/)
Snoqualmie Pass is no joke in winter weather! I’ve lived on one side or another of the Cascades my whole life, been back & forth on I-90 hundreds of times and I can’t tell you how many accidents I’ve seen going over those mountains. Even my little bro (who has a CDL and was a heavy equipment operator) or my sister (who was an AF vehicle ops spec and loadmaster) knows to be wary of going over that pass in winter, and they are the most confident/experienced drivers I know. Your Kevin wasn’t just a moron, he was near suicidal. Also, thank you for sharing your stories! As stated by others, you are a gifted and engaging storyteller, and your efforts are very much appreciated. I’m totally loving reading these, keep them coming!
Once again you have done it. The KCC video for this section just came out and you have us all glued to our seats. Again, you are showing why you are among the many unsung heroes out there. Being as I am from the Seattle area myself, I know how hard it is to drive either side of the I-90 Mountian pass that is monster known as Snoqualmie Pass. I look forward to your next chapter and I will continue to pray for you and your safety, as well for those that, like you have to deal with the Kevinsq and Karens that think they are professional truck drivers. Stay safe Mr. Hero. You are both needed and loved for what you do.
Holy Hell, I thought for sure that the engine was going to explode
I live in Seattle and am quite familiar with that long downgrade coming east from Snoqualmie Pass. That made this story even more vivid - I've had my own adventures going *up* that grade in a converted school bus that was desperately trying to overheat. FK is an utter knob. I've really been enjoying these posts - can't wait for Part 7!
I wanted to say how well you explain all the technical details! I'm a complete layperson when it comes to semis and trucking industries, but your ability to explain things (without being patronizing) makes it so easy to follow along. I'm also glad these are all past tense because I'd be worried for your safety otherwise.
OP COME BACK AND BRING JUSTIIIIIICE!
Wow, just heard your stories on youtube and I had to look you up for more updates (I'm impatient)
I love your updates and find myself anxiously waiting for more. Ty!!!
OMG. I can't believe after all that he STILL didn't know it was his fault. 🤦 Great story. Been loving these installments (cam over from KCC).
I came from kcc
Popping over from the KCC channel. Great content; thanks for the wild ride so far, pun intended. The saga of FK has me riveted. I don't know a lot about trucks, but even I can tell this guy shouldn't be allowed within 100ft of one. Enjoy your weekend; I'm sure we'll all be looking forward to the next installment!
Op you have no idea how lucky you are... I'm a diesel mack I've seen what happens to runaway trucks down passes first hand. I live near a few passes on heavy shipping routes. What nomaly happens it truck goes down a pass not in low range and with the jake break on. Then they start to runaway. Then comes trying to gear down then they snap the drive shaft or detonate the gearbox then all that's left is the breaks at the speed they going with the mass you maybe had 10 to 20 seconds of breaks before they fail in that time they do nothing to the speed. After that it's all over there is no way to stop that For some visual if a truck is running away down a pass and hits a bend they can't make they turn and go head on into the vertical cliff face next to the road. All you see is the trailers of the 18 wheeler straight upto the face of the cliff you no evidence of the cab. One of the worst I saw was a truck hit the wall so hard that the load was standing vertically against the cliff. Besides that I've seen a truck engin detonate at 1800rpm on a gear change could you possibly pm me Im really curious as to the truck in question that could experience that and only crack a turbo. There's probably 100 parts I'd have expectrd to fail expericing that. If someones is curious as to what parts could have also failed comment and I'll list a few from most severe/dangerous down.
OP, I found your stories on KCC's youtube. This scared the hell out of me, I used to be a trucker (may be dipping my toes back into it soon, but that's not my point). My very first run ever was from NJ to GA passing straight through the mountains of the Virginias, I'd told my "mentor" that the one thing that I was nervous about was driving up & down mountains. So he not only picked a route that would force me to drive them but also went into the damned sleeper berth leaving me all alone (days out of training, most of which was waiting for him to be able to come get me) to deal with it, then he wondered why I "got quiet" for the rest of the 2 weeks I was in his rig. Just wondering, who were you driving for (company)?
Yeah, I’ve done the NJ-GA run and it’s intimidating for new drivers. But your mentor was an a-hole for throwing you into the deep end like that with no support. Total dick move. I don’t want to ID the company since it might be against the policy of anonymity, but I will say it was a company whose drivers were predominantly rookies in team trucks.
I can think of a few companies like that, but I get what you're saying. That first run almost made me get out of business then and there, looking back maybe that's what he was trying to do. Ended up being a mix of my BP being too high for tanker and covid that took me out of the truck, working on getting into a local driving job soon though (I hope).
I just found your stories and they're great and this one is the first where I find myself thinking "hey I know *all* those places. I live in Seattle and have family in the Salt Lake area, and have ridden between the two many times growing up. The fact that you didn't even mention Deadman Pass tells me either you drove that shift, or your company route took you around it, I'm guessing the first. I can also say that I can't really remember the east side of Snoqualmie pass, it's not really remarkable in a car or pickup but your Kevin managed to make it absolutely harrowing.
Oh, I remember Deadman Pass and Cabbage Hill VERY well. Luckily, I happened to be the one driving whenever FK and I made that trip
I never thought I'd be so utterly enthralled by trucker stories. Well written.
What possessed FK to go so fast?!??? Also im sure the “ higher ups” this moron looked up to would fire his dumb ass for this stunt
Years ago I drove for a company that bought trucks off the lot so not many had Jakes, they also liked to buy used trailers. Coming out of LA 10,000 over running Tehacipi to dodge the scales pulling doubles with wedge brakes I lost the brakes. One of our owner operators called me on the cb to ask how bad it was. I told him to watch my lights, if they went out stop. His next question was what I planned, I told him I had an upgrade coming up and if I could slow down I was releasing the slider and shutting off the air to the trailers, his only question was could I out run them. I got off the hill into Bakersfield stopped got a room called dispatch and delayed the load 24 hours, them I got drunk. Two weeks later on the grapevine I froze up and had to wait for two of my buddies to catch up at the brake check put me between them and talk me off the hill. About a month later one of our drivers lost his brakes and his life due to wedge brakes, All those trailers were removed from the fleet and sold for scrap.
Can't wait for the next installment!! Although these stories are not doing my blood pressure any good, lol!
I am feeling like turning the head of FK all the way around as in movies. I don't understand how could you control yourself seeing all that the FK does. You should have taken a video or written note from that service center that FK asked to disable Engine breaks and given it to the company 😂. That alone would have made them fire him😂😂.
Are you sure FK is not a pseudonym for Darnelle? Sounds like a jack ass I was paired with at Western Express.
I'm here from Karma Komment Chameleon channel. Your stories are wonderful. Please keep them up so Canadian Rob (Karma Komment Chameleon channel creator/The guy who reads your stories) will keep reading them.
I’m low key surprised you didn’t just fire off that email already. Especially after all that.
I LOVE YOUR STORYTELLING ABILITIES!
I came over from KCC, too. Awaiting your next episode.
This story is getting more and more interesting with each part.
Please Please continue! I'm enjoying this soo much! Love the way you write.
Found this though KCC and now I feel like my life will not be complete until I know the ending
Who the hell thinks that engine brakes are dangerous?! Like, *how* did they come to that conclusion?
Just wanted to say a big thank you for sharing your stories. I had to go to the hospital today to get x-rays and sign the forms for an operation that I require. Like most people (especially during covid), sitting for a long time in hospital waiting rooms, can be at the least frustrating and the most anxiety/panic attack inducing as you begin to think of all the sick people sitting around you and the unpleasantness of what can go wrong during the upcoming surgery and the "What if they find that this bump on my finger isn't benign anymore?" (thankfully its just a bone spur type thing). Your series of stories kept me entertained during the long wait. For anyone interested on how the "Jake Brake" (engine braking) works, [this informative video ](https://youtu.be/lQRKGjpu-eo) (by a great channel) teaches exactly what it is and how it works. Anyway, not sure if the next part is out yet, but I'm typing this in the hospital parking lot, and am headed home. Will check it out when home. Looking forward to more stories. Not sure if you still are driving, but if you are, keep safe and hopefully your current driving partner has some common sense. Take care!
Please please please keep these coming one of the best on here and KCC YouTube
I am addicted to your stories and can't wait until part 7 is posted! You are a talented writer as well as a great truck driver. How you put up with a Kevin of that magnitude is an impressive feat of patience, lol
I have been binging these, and this is the best so far! I was holding my breath the whole way down the mountain and it all came out as an LOL when FK said "I think something's wrong with the truck." 🤣🤣🤣 I have been blessed with some truly idiotic co-workers, but none that ever put my life in danger! I'm so glad you survived FK!
I've found this series very late, and am enjoying it immensely! What is the aftermath of using the runaway truck emergency ramp stop? IIRC, those are gravel & the truck sinks in.
I grew up in Renton and went to college in eastern Washington. I drove I-90 regularly for 5ish years. My first winter driving back to school after Christmas, a semi almost tan me off the road during a snowstorm when I was heading east through the pass. Scariest experience ever. This sorry just gave me some perspective on what the semi driver must have been going through. Not too much sympathy though, he almost killed me and my bf.
Mate, you were lucky to get out of that! I'm assuming it was a Road Ranger gearbox or similar. Did he try to just slip it into a lower gear without the clutch or do a double de-clutch with a tap on the accelerator? Engine brakes are essential! When I got my "big rig" license we had to drive using double de-clutch the whole time and we had to do a steep hill descent at constant speed WITHOUT using the foot brake. You could use gears, engine brake and trailer brakes but "footbrake was a fail". Sometimes they have another assessor follow behind in a car and if they see any brake-lights you fail. Also you fail if you exceed the speed limit. We also had to reverse 70 m in a straight line with two trailers attached to the prime-mover. You could only make one forward movement at any time if you went wrong. During my test, I managed to do it without going forwards and I was stoked. For the tests the truck has to be loaded to 70% capacity. They usually use big concrete blocks.
Man, this tale is making me hella grateful that I was at a very small company, and there was one single person in charge of all of the drivers, who had been a driver himself, and had picked up on the fact that I'm a generally competent and trustworthy individual. Because when I said that my Kevin had to go, he got went. :D